9 Tips For Taking Pictures While On Vacation | Hendersonville, NC Photographer

Since I know many people are heading out for Spring Break in the next week or two, I thought I would share a few simple tips on documenting your vacation.

 

Tell a story

When I'm taking pictures on vacation, I'm trying to document the story of our time together as a family.  With four active kids, two of them being teenagers, we very rarely have time with all six of us together for an extended period of time.  So when we are on vacation, it's the perfect time to capture some good family time.  So I shoot with telling our story in mind.  

The Details

I didn't do a great job of capturing a lot of the little details on this vacation.  Which is strange for me.  I love shooting little details normally.  But here are a couple examples of details.  First, I like to try to shoot signs to show where we are.  This one captures both the miniature golf course and the location.  Plus a couple of cute little kids!  Shooting signs, buildings, and interesting locations can all help with telling your story. 

This is a detail shot of sorts.  It's showing that cute little tutu bathing suit that she wore for two summers and this little inflatable life jacket that we have had since Drew & Brodey were in preschool.

 

 The good, the bad, and the ugly

We all want to capture pictures of our family smiling and having fun, but lets be honest, that's not always the case.  Especially when we are on vacation with little ones.  Schedules are messed up, naps are missed, meals aren't as regular, and we stay busy and active most of the day.  So sometimes there is a meltdown or two.  Don't be afraid to capture those moments as well.  Afterall, they are apart of our story.  This picture shows Peyton as she is wilting during a round of miniature golf. 

Another little tip, when pictures don't turn out great, like the picture below being way over exposed, I don't worry about it too much.  This was one of those moments that I had to snap quickly on the fly and didn't have my camera settings correct.  But if I had taken time to set my camera for a better exposure, I probably would have missed this precious little gem of a shot.   I'd much rather have this image overexposed, then not have it at all.

Go Natural

While there is definitely a time for everyone looking at the camera and smiling, some of my favorite shots are the ones that no one even knew I was taking.  If I see a quiet moment that I want to capture, I try not to bring a lot of attention to myself.  I try to quietly sneak a few shots before anyone is aware.  Although, my kids are pretty alert to my sneakiness since I am always taking pictures of them!

 This quietly observing and sneaking in a few shots works especially well when there is a sweet connection happening between siblings or between parents and children.

 And shooting from behind is a great way to capture these connections of people

who don't especially like having their pictures taken.

 Action!

I always try to shoot my kids playing.  This is another time when I have

to be kind of sneaky so I can catch them in a natural way.

 When we go on vacation, 75% of the time we spend on the beach or in the water.  So capturing them playing in the sand always brings back lots of memories when we look back through pictures. 

 And capturing all four of them playing together is a very rare accurance.

 Capturing this smiling face is not a rare occurance!

 One of my all time favorite action shots!  Probably a little blurry, but still a keeper.  Again, I don't worry about perfect images when photographing things like this.  It's all about capturing the moment.

 

Get in the picture

I have to admit, I'm not great at this.  But I am slowing getting better.  I have started handing the camera off to other people and getting in a picture or two myself.  Brodey and Cooper are both getting pretty good at taking pictures because of the times that I have handed them the camera and gave them some simple instructions on how to frame the shot.

Lighting

Trying to take pictures is harsh mid afternoon sunlight can be difficult.  Especially at the beach where the water and sand is reflecting that bright sunlight around.  I always grab my camera when we are on a beach vacation and there are overcast skies.  It makes the light much softer and easier to create beautiful images.   If I'm trying to take pictures when the sun is high in the sky, I will often try to find some shade to take the picture in.  Finding shade can be difficult while on the beach, but when are out exploring things other then the beach, I will always try to take pictures in the shade.

Faces

It seems like most of my vacation shots end up being of people doing something or interacting with someone else.  But I do like to capture a few of them looking at the camera too.  So while action and details are great, cute smiling faces are a must too! 

 Forget the camera

One of the most important things to do at some point while on vacation is to forget the camera.  This is always a hard thing for me to do.  Beause I know as soon as I leave that thing behind, that is going to be the time when something great happens that I have to have pictures of.  But sometimes I just have to leave it behind and be 100% in the moment with my family and not worry about documenting every teeny tiny thing.  And I always have my iPhone with me.  So I can always grab a few shots with that if something to cute to miss happens!

 

So there you have it. 

A few simple little tips that will hopefully help you while taking pictures on your next vacation.

 

 

For more photography tips, go here.

 

So where are you going on Spring Break?  Stop my my Facebook page and share one of your favorite vacation pictures.

 

5 Tips for Shooting on an Overcast Day | Hendersonville, NC Photographer

It can be challenging during these long, dreary, winter months, to stay inspired to capture our everyday moments.  Luckily we haven't had much snow here this winter, but we have had our fair share of overcast or rainy days.

 

I thought I would share a few tips for taking pictures on overcast days.  I have had many clients show up to their session disappointed because the clouds were covering the sun.  Where I, as the photographer, am always excited for those overcast days.  Those clouds work as a giant soft box.  Filtering the sun and its harsh light.

 

 

There can be a down side to overcast days though.  If you aren't careful, it can leave your pictures dull and lifeless.  So my first tip would be to try and have your subject in brightly colored clothing.  That will give your photograph some visual interest.  Makes the subject pop!

 Another fun way to add some interest and fun to your photos on an overcast day is by adding some sort of colorful prop.  Could be a bicycle, a brightly painted chair, a little red wagon, or in this case, an umbrella.  If it's dry, you could also use a pretty blanket on the ground.

 Tip number 3 for keeping your photos on an overcast day from looking too drab, would be to simply not include the gray sky in the picture.  If it's a cloudy, dramatic sky, it can add a moody interest to the picture.  But if it's just a flat, boring, gray sky, it's not going to add anything to your picture.  So just leave it out.

 On a sunny day, I'm always looking for open shade to shoot in.  Under trees or beside buildings.  Open shade helps avoid the harsh shadows and squinty eyed subjects that the sun creates.  But on an overcast day you will want to shoot right out in the open.  You are going to need to find as much light as possible.  For these pictures, we went right out in the middle of the street where there weren't any trees or buildings to block the light from us.

 Tip #5 would be to shoot from a high angle to get light into your subjects eyes.  If you are working with children, this is as simple as having them look directly up at you.  If you are working with adults, you can have them sit on the ground and shoot from a standing position.  Or find a bench to stand up on to put you at a higher level.  Getting light into those eyes will help make your pictures come alive.  Those little catch lights are what you should be looking for.

 And last but not least, have FUN!!!

 Having fun is the most important thing when you are photographing your kids. 

If it's not fun, they aren't going to want to do it. 

 So don't be afraid of these dreary winter days.  Go outside and have some fun playing in the rain or the snow.  Make some memories and be sure to snap a few pictures along the way!

 

If you found these tips helpful, you can see more photography tips here.

 

What type of things do you struggle with when trying to photograph your family? 

 Leave me a note in the comments and I'll try to help you out as best I can.

 



More Than A Snapshot: Photography Tips | Hendersonville, NC Photographer

So here we are with our 7th installment of our More Than A Snapshot series. Today I want to talk a little bit about catch lights. But first, if you have missed any of our other installments, you can check them all out here:


1. GET YOUR CAMERA OUT OF THE CLOSET!

2. Fill your frame.

3. Capture the scenery.

4. Remembering the details.

5. Composition

6. Be Weird

Catch lights are another thing that can take a good picture to a great picture. Just by adding a little light.

So what are catch lights? Catch lights are the little spots of lights that reflect in peoples eyes. That little dab of light that makes the eyes really sparkle. Makes your picture really come to life.

So how do you get a catch light? Sometimes it will be a happy accident. Sometimes you will have to work for it a little. Sometimes you will have to work for it a lot if the lighting isn’t good where you are shooting.

Let’s look at the difference between an image with catch lights and an image without the catch lights.

The first image is without catch lights. 
See how the eyes are sort of just a dark pits. 
Still a cute picture.  Just missing a little something.

This one is obviously with catch lights. 

See the reflection of light from the window in their eyes.

See how it makes their eyes sparkle. 

Do you see how much those little specks of light can do?

They take the eyes from dark pits to lively, sparkling awesomeness.

In order to get this catch light, your subject needs to have some light getting into the eyes. If you have had a session with me, you have probably heard me say something about finding good light. Good light to me is natural light. Generally speaking, the flash on your camera is not going to give you “good light”. I highly encourage you to learn to shoot without your flash as much as possible. Natural light is so much more beautiful in your images. All that being said, there are times when the flash is necessary. Times when there just isn’t enough light. But please do practice without it.

Sometimes if you are lucky you will get two catch lights in each eye.

Having your subject look up towards you is a great way to get some catch lights in their eyes.

If you are shooting outdoors, open shade is the best option if you can find it. Place your subject in that shade and then look into their eyes. If you can’t see the catch lights, turn them in a different direction. Keep doing this until you see that sparkle in their eye.

If indoors trying to take pictures of your kids playing or something, try to have them play near a window or door. Somewhere where the natural light is coming into your house. Then position yourself between your subject and the light source. You should see those sparkles shooting this way.

Go find that natural light, turn your subject so the light is catching in their eyes, and shoot gorgeous images.

More Than A Snapshot: Photography Tips | Sunbury Photographer

Wow! I can’t believe we are on our 6th entry in this series. I really hope that you are finding these little tips helpful when taking pictures.

1. GET YOUR CAMERA OUT OF THE CLOSET!

2. Fill your frame.

3. Capture the scenery.

4. Remembering the details.

5. Composition

Today I want to talk about looking weird when taking pictures!
Yes I want you, the photographer, to look weird when you are taking a picture.

What does this mean? I’m talking about taking pictures at different, unusual, and what I would call fun angles. You will often find me laying on the ground or standing on a chair taking pictures. I have even been known to stand on my bar to take a cool shot of a big family dinner. You will also always see my camera tilted at strange angles when I’m shooting. I don’t always shoot exactly straight up and down. In fact, I rarely shoot that way.

See how there is a slight tilt in this shot.  You do have to be careful with this though.  You can tilt too far and it can sometimes look strange and somewhat confusing.  So again, this is something to practice to see what you like.

Shooting in this way is especially successful when shooting your “Fill the Frame” shots and your “Detail” shots. Not always helpful when shooting the scenery though. But again, play with it and see how you like it.

When taking a picture, squat down and shoot at their level.

If this image would have been shot from a standing position, you wouldn't even see much of her face.  Just the top of her head.  It's important to get down on your subjects level when shooting kids.

Lay on the ground and shoot from there. Sometimes on your stomach, sometimes on your back.

Stand on a chair and shoot from above.

(Shooting from above is also a great way to alleviate double chins and will give a slimming affect.)

In this picture I was actually standing on the table where they were playing. 

Just to get a little different picture.  Just for fun!

Sometimes being weird means laying on the ground and taking pictures of someones feet.  I got very strange looks when I took this picture.  In fact, my sister even gave a disclaimer before we took these pictures.  "She may ask you to do some weird things, and she may look strange when she is shooting, but I bet you will like what she comes up with in the end."  LOL  And they did give me some strange looks!  =) 

BUT, if I remember correctly, this picture was one of her favs in the end.

So go ahead.  Be brave and be weird.  Practice being weird at home first with your own family!  Then when you see what type of imagines you come up with shooting in this way, I bet you will be brave enough to be weird in other places too.  =)

Next time we are going to talk about catch lights.  Any idea what that is?

More Than A Snapshot: Photography Tips | Sunbury Photographer


Installment number 5 of our little series is all about composition.

You can check out our first 4 installments here:

1. GET YOUR CAMERA OUT OF THE CLOSET!

2. Fill your frame.

3. Capture the scenery.

4. Remembering the details.

This little tidbit will help make a big difference in your photos instantly. When you pair this with all of the other tips I have given you, you will create some great stuff!

When I talk about composition, I’m talking about where you place your subject in the frame of your camera. So many of us have always been told to make sure we center our subject right in the middle of the photograph. How many pictures have we had hanging around our house of people dead center in the picture? I for one have had lots over the years.

That is until I learned about the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is simply dividing your frame in thirds horizontally and vertically. So imagine a grid over the picture. Kind of like a Tic Tac Toe board.  Then put something of interest at the intersection of two of those lines.  For example, see how her eye is right near the intersection at the top left corner.  Her other eye also ended up being near the other intersection as well.

There is something about using this Rule of Thirds principle that just

 makes the picture a little more pleasing to the eye.

And here is an example of the same picture cropped to put the subject dead center in the frame.

Just not as pleasing for some reason. 

The other thing that I do sometimes is line my subject up along one of the lines.

See how his body is along what would be the left vertical line of the Rule of Thirds grid?  His eyes are also aligned with the upper horizontal line of the grid.

Makes the picture tell a little story. 

 Gives him somewhere to look through those binoculars. 

Might make you wonder what he is looking at?

If shooting a landscape picture, put the horizon either on the upper 1/3 line or along the lower 1/3 line. So you will need to decide if you want more of the foreground in the picture, or more of the sky in the picture. It will depend on what you want the focus to be. You could even take a picture both ways and then decide which one you like better. But do not divide the picture in half with the horizon line. Your landscapes will be much more interesting when using the Rule of Thirds.

NOW, after saying all that, there is a time and place for the perfectly centered picture. It just depends on what your subject is doing. Sometimes the centered approach really works.

So my suggestion would be to shoot the picture in a number of ways compositionally(is that even a word???) speaking. Take the picture off centered, then in the upper or lower part of frame, and then centered. See which one you like better. With digital photography you can really take endless pictures while practicing.  You will eventually figure out what your favorite way is without having to try all of the ways.  (Does that make since?)

Are you familiar with this way of shooting?  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

More Than A Snapshot: Photography Tips | Sunbury Photographer

I’m back with another tip on helping to make your pictures tell a complete story.  I hope you are finding this information useful.  I have a few more posts in this series to round everything out. 

For now, let's get on with tip #4!

Let’s review. Shall we?

1. GET YOUR CAMERA OUT OF THE CLOSET!

2. Fill your frame.

3. Capture the scenery.

Now I want to talk about the third type of shot I always try to remember to take. These are probably my fav shots. These are the detail shots.

In this picture I am trying to show how she wears a cute little dress and likes to be girly.  But then puts on a ball hat and her brother's flip flops and goes out and plays in the mud.

As for the details of this little get up she is wearing, I also got up close and personal and shot this image.  I love the mud on her leg and dress and the way she is wearing the flip flops.  And don't forget the toe nail polish!

Detail shots are the ones that melt your heart sometimes.
Pictures of babies little toes. Long beautiful eyelashes.

Or pictures of a preschooler practicing writing his numbers.

Or a little toddler feeding herself spaghetti-o's.

The other type of detail shots are the actual details of your event.  For example, taking pictures at Christmas time.  We always take pictures of the tree, but next time think about taking pictures of the other details. 

Like the stockings looking golden from the glow of the Christmas tree.

Or some details about Christmas breakfast.



When I say event, it doesn’t always have to be an “event” like a party or something. It can also be the details of the activity that you are capturing. If you are photographing a sporting event, take a picture of the dugout with bats hanging from the fence and Gatorade bottles all over. If you child is playing with matchbox cars, take a shot of his little hand pushing the car around.

Some of my most favorite detail shots of my own children were taken when they were asleep. That’s a great time to capture those beautiful pouty lips and those long eyelashes. (Can you tell I have a thing for eyelashes?  How many times have I mentioned them?  Sorry!)  They aren’t wiggling around and driving you mad. I even do this with my older boys. If they happen to fall asleep on the couch, I will sometimes grab my camera and snap a couple of pictures.

 Do you love the detail shots as much as I do?  Which details are your favs?